The Electric Car Thread

I’m currently standing next to a Škoda Enyaq Coupe VRS.  What a good looking thing, and a good price too.

That is all.

Chap was saying that he had hundreds just gathering dust as no one bids on them in [trade] auctions. Some are cherry-picked by buyers from some African countries he said. Otherwise ‘no one wants them’.

This feels like likely bullshit. On auto trader last week I saved about a dozen model 3s – admittedly a narrow range of price/milage/spec. Looking now 9 out of 12 are no longer available. People must be buying.

Admittedly, as someone looking to buy a 3 year old one who normally holds on to cars for 7 years plus – I’m not sure what the market will be for 10 year old EVs with 100k of driving gone through the batteries.

This feels like likely bullshit.

The entire post is horseshit.

No one is buying hydrogen vehicles, there’s no such thing as a 230mpg petrol engine in an actual car (production or otherwise, and the rest…

IRL he was a very pleasant and genuine sounding chap

Sounds like an unhinged lunatic to me.

I’m now considering a Volvo XC40/EX40, because it can tow enough and I think it’s the only EV currently available with self levelling suspension.. @mert do you know?

Dunno if anyone else has it on a car that size/class, but yes, it’s available on that platform, no, i couldn’t tell you which markets/models/spec levels.

Seems that used EVs just can’t be sold in the UK. Chap was saying that he had hundreds just gathering dust as no one bids on them in [trade] auctions.

Probably a wild exaggeration of if I were him I’d be concerned at my financing costs as that’s be millions of £££ tied up. Tesla has it’s own unique set of problems right now too, the main one being the Elon Effect but the fact that the rest of the manufacturers have joined the party probably means they’ve got a lot of cars that are coming off lease that are being replaced by a more mainstream marque. Personally I don’t like the styling.

The EV market (new and used) is a young one so everyone’s still figuring it out, speaking from my own experience I’ve always bought ex-demo’s or the like, but due to they way interest rates are at the moment, a 0% deal on a new car works out the same monthly cost as financing a used car. The used one might be £10k cheaper, but it’d cost me £9k in interest over 3 years and if I buy new I get £1k of charger free, a £200 credit on my energy bill and I get to decide on the specs. Added bonus being the new version’s been updated so is generally better in all areas too.

Now the prices of EVs are comparable to the same ICE models then that’s one barrier removed, I think previously they were priced out of the running when people were making the decision based on the finances.

@mert ta, I’ll have a nosey at the new dealership they’ve just built near me.

After months of agonising, I joined the EV club today ?.

A five hour journey up the accident clogged A9 is never going to spark joy, but doing it in this car was probably as nice a place to be as any.  It’s superb!

Well, apart from the climate control, which made me curse a few times..

Ditto, picked my Y up on Saturday too (from a very busy and chaotic Brent Cross collection centre – it’s certainly not a premium buying experience).  A traffic laden journey past Wembley (boxing was on) gave some time to start fiddling with settings and figure out what was what (this is going to take some time).

Charging all set up at home fine and on Intelligent Octopus without issue.  Checking specs in the car it was also pleasing to find Premium Audio in my RWD model (sound system is much better than the one in my outgoing 2019 X3).  Was also surprised to find a granny charger included having been told by the sales rep it wasn’t (and having bought one I’m going to have to take a hit selling it on ebay as too late to return as bought when I ordered in July).

Seems that used EVs just can’t be sold in the UK. Chap was saying that he had hundreds just gathering dust as no one bids on them in [trade] auctions. Some are cherry-picked by buyers from some African countries he said. Otherwise ‘no one wants them’.

Was his name Geoff ??

Sounds like he is totally full of shit to me. Oh, I can’t sell them at auction , so I’ll just let them sit around ?? Surprised they haven’t all caught fire by now 😉

You’ve only got to watch someone like RSymons RSEV ( who actually deals the things) on Youtube to get a better gauge on how the things are selling.  Perhaps Geoff should be punting his stock through them .

Needing a new car for Mrs b.

used EV seems to tick boxes for use and charging, currently she drives a corsa and she likes the look of the e- corsa or the the e 208.

Any other  make/models that are similar size to consider, must be 5 doors for carting parents about.

I have to say Hyundai Ioniq Electric again, they are cheap as chips, super efficient and plenty big enough for adults in the back. Much bigger than a traditional Corsa, not sure if the e- ones are the same size.

AFAIK the e-Corsa uses the same platform as the ICE one, so you still get a transmission tunnel.

Admittedly, as someone looking to buy a 3 year old one who normally holds on to cars for 7 years plus – I’m not sure what the market will be for 10 year old EVs with 100k of driving gone through the batteries.

If I talk to people I know, EV’s with 100K on them are just fine. Mine has a lot more than that and is less of a worry than an ICE

Honestly the bloke at the airfield is just talking gibberish.  The odd thing about hydrogen cars is that I was at a dealers a couple of weeks ago and they had two Mirai.  That’s going to be a tough sell as there are  approximately zero H2 charging points within 300kms (as the crow flies).

‘Are there any convincing electric estates yet that are old enough to buy used?’

How old? 2022 Kia EV6.

used EV seems to tick boxes for use and charging, currently she drives a corsa and she likes the look of the e- corsa or the the e 208.

I’m very fond of my e208. Any questions fire away. In case you weren’t aware the eCorsa and e208 are exactly the same Stellantis car underneath.

The obvious candidates of similar size (Zoe, Mini?) are 3 door, and not that appealing IMHO. If you want a bit more space for carting parents then there’s the e2008, and I presume the Mokka-e is the Vauxhall size equivalent. e-Golf has a tiddly battery. ID3 maybe? BMW i3?

honda e should also be in contention, and a nissan leaf if you can suffer the looks

Was very happy with my i3s overall. Would recommend that, but get one with carplay.

I’m just hanging out for used EV9’s to pop up on the used market. It’s the only realistic alternative to our old Nissan Patrol which is now old enough to drink!

Herself is awaiting delivery of a used ID.3 (one of the TPMS sensors needed replacing) and we have a very orange Corsa doing duty at the moment. The VW was bought on colour (it’s her car, her choice) I was there to make sure that all 4 wheels matched and nothing looked out of place in the business end. Next thing is a charger as the local ones are all the wrong side of 60p a kWh to use. So far it has been plugged in once in a week.

Nice.

I went for a daily constitutional the other day via the new local Volvo dealer to have a look at the EX40. Accordng to the saleperson they don’t come with self levelling suspension. I had a bit of a sit, and I did not like it that much. The concept of a small SUV doesn’t really work for me. The seats were small but the car was big; the seating position was the same weird mix of upright and not upright that the Leaf suffered with. You don’t sit high but you don’t sit low either, the seat seems designed to sit high but you’re actually low to the ground and the steering wheel is positioned as if you were in a car. Sitting down in it was nowhere near as comfortable as the Merc. Now I may be spoiled, and most cars don’t seem as ergonomic as that, but of all the ones I’ve sat in only the Ariya and the Ioniq 6 did seem immediately properly proportioned. Even my current Ioniq Electric – despite being more basic and having worse seats than the Merc – feels ‘right’ in terms of ergonomics and position. I think that an SUV has to be big for it to ‘fit’ – like the Ariya, otherwise it needs to be a regular car shape. Small SUVs seem all off to me.

re: recycling centre weirdo – he’s probably on about the vast defleet centres (like the old Rockingham circuit, or Bruntingthorpe, or Bedford Autodrome) which have always been the place where cars go at the end of leases, it’s just that these days there’s a huge glut of salary sacrifice EVs taken in 2020/21 which are going back. They can look like they’re just sat there but most cars are turned around pretty quickly.

https://www.youtube.com/@JonathanPorterfield regularly does videos of the car auctions where they get sold, there’s just a lot of EVs moving through the market now. Arguably though inflation, cost of living, interest rates, etc  have slowed all car sales down, new car sales are still well below where they were in 2019.

As for hydrogen in the US, lol. This article/video on the current state of the California hydrogen network is worth a look: https://www.theverge.com/c/2024/8/20/24195787/lost-highway

The obvious candidates of similar size (Zoe, Mini?) are 3 door

The Zoe is four door or five if you count the hatch. The early e208s don’t have a good reputation for reliabilty or range, but the newer are ones with the bigger battery are better in both respects.

so you still get a transmission tunnel

On a FWD car? That’s Vauxhall for you.

@simon_g these were the thoughts going through my mind at the time. Thanks for digging into the topic.

I did have to disagree with him IRL on hydrogen. It’s a last gasp attempt to keep burning things.

The entire post is horseshit.

That’s an unkind, almost ad hominem, thing to write @mert

I agree that what ‘Geoff’ (I did not ask his name, but let’s give him it @revs1972 ) said to me did sound incredible. Hence posting it here to see the consensus and some reassurance I wasn’t trapped in a bubble of ignorance.

Seems Geoff may be mistaken on all counts. Especially about hydrogen.

On a FWD car? That’s Vauxhall for you.

It’s there for the WRC development 4WD fire-breathing monster! *insert cynicla laughs here*

That’s an unkind, almost ad hominem, thing to write @mert

Not really.

Seems Geoff may be mistaken on all counts.

It smacks of an out of touch boomer who has a poor handle on reality and just trots out talking points that fit in with his world view, probably gathered from twitter, daily mail and the local equivalent of fox news.

said to me did sound incredible.

Barely/badly “researched” anecdata would be far closer to the truth.

A lot of ‘what people say’ is actually bollocks. People need to take more responsibility over the crap they spread.

People act on sentiment, not rationality. They don’t like being told that the things they know and love have been superseded or are inferior, so they will become emotionally invested in their current worldview. This is why they pick up on stories that defend their old view or attack the new thing, without rationally evaluating the things they’ve read.

Ten years ago if you told people you could drive 200 miles for £4 they’d take your arm off. If there were a local petrol station selling at 20p a litre, no-one would go anywhere else. This is now achievable, but many people ignore that and go straight to whataboutery.

so you still get a transmission tunnel

On a FWD car? That’s Vauxhall for you.

People call it a transmission tunnel but on FWD cars it’s an exhaust tunnel, and has been there since FWD cars were invented.

It also contains the gear shift linkage, which is part of the transmission I guess.  On some fwd designs it held the gearbox.  The front end of it anyway.

Picking my Mercedes EQA250+ AMG Premium Plus up on Tuesday.  Just been told its ready and to get my current car ready to exchange.

Will be my first go with full electric, handing back a Hybrid C300 AMG.  Actually not been this excited about a car for a long time having driven company cars for 30yrs, they dont excite me really.  Colleagues have had theirs for a few months now and seem to be doing ok with them.  I have a home charger and getting off peak at 7.9p/kw.  Shouldn’t need charging elsewhere other than the odd long journey.

My wife has previously refused to drive my company cars but even she is showing interest in using it.  Ive even taken Wed/Thur off work to detail it so it stays relatively clean (Black)

Nice. Even if you aren’t ‘into’ cars you can still appreciate a nice quiet comfy smooth drive. That’s all I want, really!

Wink.

I was very into cars then moved on and treated them as unreliable, expensive, idiosyncratic, highly polluting but unfortunately necessary in the modern world. One day the Renault dealer lent me a Fluence to try and despite it being a pretty poor EV I enjoyed driving it. A magic carpet on wheels, a mix of go cart and luxury limo. A few years later they lent me a Zoe and I was doomed to owning one – couldn’t resist.

molgrips – the C300 is probably the best car ive had and even with only 25mls electric range it has suited my needs (18mls round trip to work).  In electric mode it is incredibly smooth and quiet.  I even found myself being disappointed when it switched over to diesel.

Cant wait

Cool.

I like driving a ‘nice’ car in the same way I like riding a nice bike or playing a nice guitar etc. I love to travel, and being able to drive 500 miles in relaxed comfort really facilitates that. A lot of people I know hate to drive a long way – maybe they just don’t have good cars.

Having owned and subsequently refurbished this Mercedes I now worry that my standards are going to be too high for my budget. Although used Merc EQC/B aren’t *too* bad and may be affordable in a few years. I’d much rather have a 6 year old posh car than a 1 year old basic one.

I’d much rather have a 6 year old posh car than a 1 year old basic one.

You’ve got both. wink

The problem with old posh cars has always been running costs. Once the warranty runs out you’re in for posh car bills. See the RS6 or whatever threads on this forum. Some of that will no doubt continue with EVs but their relative simplicity might make old posh EVs slightly cheaper to run – I still expect that what look like quite simple things will cost a fortune to repair, the battery cooling systems for example.

Quick hijack – looking at getting an EV, if I chose to px my existing 10 yr old car will I get more for it in an online valuation with 12 months MOT v 1 month ?

A lot of people I know hate to drive a long way – maybe they just don’t have good cars.

Maybe, or perhaps they just don’t like driving? Personally, driving is one of the dullest activities in my life, and a waste of good cycling time. A second hand MG4 SE EV is easily the fanciest car I have ever bought, and I would resent driving even more if I was paying any more of a premium for the car!

The problem with old posh cars has always been running costs

True but as you say this should be much better with EVs. At least Mercedes actually have spare parts for their cars unlike Hyundai. I’m not sure the cooling systems etc will be any different on a fancy EV, you’re looking at stuff like replacement infotainment or that door mirror someone knocked off that is full of electronics for the blind spot warning or bird’s eye view etc.  That said, EVs seem to be higher spec in general and even a cheap Leaf can be had with all those features.

At least Mercedes actually have spare parts for their cars unlike Hyundai

Wait. Hyundai still have shit spares even though I’ve not owned one for 24 years. This was a problem 24 years ago and I won’t own another due to their complete disdain at holding spares for current models. Not a situation that improved with time either

This was a problem 24 years ago and I won’t own another due to their complete disdain at holding spares for current models.

As you can probably tell I like Hyundai and their cars but going by the chat on the FB groups they really don’t hold spares which is properly shit. Everyone’s waiting six weeks or more for most parts. When it happened to me I thought it was some rare part or due to the chip shortage but it’s still like that. I called Mercedes for some obscure small part – “Oh I’m terribly sorry sir that’ll have to come from Germany, it’ll be 2 days”.

Personally, driving is one of the dullest activities in my life

A second hand MG4 SE EV is easily the fanciest car I have ever bought

Yes, that’s what I’m saying 🙂